This is how I pack meals for my husband to take to work. These are his first 4 meals. This takes me aproximately 1/2 hour each day to prepare. I pick 2 days out of the week to do the rest of my cooking in BULK. I always have meat marinating in the fridge and something on hand so that we can grab something whenever we need to. It’s like fast food with a healty twist.
Containers: Invest in some large gallon ziplock bags for the freezer and also some quart sized ones for storing things in smaller quantities. Good plasic heavy duty containers are great for storing food in. Also, smaller 2oz containers to store pre-made dressings if you need to take them to work with you.
Protein: Cook in bulk, grill chicken breast, flank steaks, pork loin, etc. Keep them in large containers and pull out and weigh what you need each day. That way you have variety to choose from and also something on hand whenever you need it.
Veggies: Keep salad greens, veggies cut up, and also sautee off, or grill some mixed veggies and store in a container. This way you can fix a salad with some protein on the fly or some protein and your already sauteed or grilled veggies in the microwave when you need them.
Fruits: Try to have 3 different fruits on hand. I usually have one mellon cut up in the fridge and the other two are hand fruits like pears, apples or bananas.
Fats: Make some salad dressings with olive oil, flax oil, or coconut oil so you can just put it into a 2oz container for your salads. Also, make some herb or spice infused olive oils and keep them in the fridge so you can just toss them with your veggies or protein to get in your good fats.
Carbs: Whole wheat pasta, quinoa, wheat berries, bulgar, or any whole grains can be made in bulk and kept in the fridge or freezer and just pulled out when you need them.
Beans: Cook large batches of beans or lentils from dried once a month and seperate them into plastic baggies and put them in your freezer. Pull out one bag a week so you make sure you have your good sources of fiber everyday.
I know the OP is probably not interested anymore but, I thought this might help someone else looking for tips on cooking in BULK…and how to make your life easier and more orgainzed.
Happy eating!